


No Time to Dwell

by MeganMoonlight



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Angst and Feels, Bucky Barnes Feels, Bucky Barnes Has Issues, Bucky Barnes-centric, Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Spoilers, Feels, First Kiss, Getting to Know Each Other, Hopeful Ending, M/M, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-20
Updated: 2017-08-20
Packaged: 2018-12-07 09:10:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11620449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeganMoonlight/pseuds/MeganMoonlight
Summary: James has trouble sleeping. After he goes to the garden, T'Challa finds him.





	No Time to Dwell

**Author's Note:**

  * For [geckoholic](https://archiveofourown.org/users/geckoholic/gifts).



James laid in bed, looking at the ceiling as he wondered what Steve and Sam were doing, and if they were safe. Well, as safe as they could be after everything that had happened. It was the thought that followed him more than any other ever since T'Challa's scientists had woken him up from cryogenic sleep to introduce him to the plans for the new arm they had been developing for him, as well as to the first theories they thought would neutralize the effects the trigger words had on James. They had also provided him with a prosthetic arm he could use while they worked on a more durable one. 

Waking up in an unfamiliar lab was... less than pleasant, and even if numerous scientists had assured him that his reactions and the shock were justified, as he had watched people in white coats get rid of broken glass and the ruined equipment he must have destroyed, James couldn't help feeling even more guilty. As soon as he had calmed down enough to realize what he had done, even if it did take him a few hours spent hiding in the dark room he had no idea how he had found to do so, he had felt like it would have been better if they had let him sleep forever. These people were trying to help him, which was already dangerous enough, since he was sure many were still searching for the Winter Soldier and they wouldn't give up very easily. Now that James was awake he posed additional danger to them as well. Because of that he rarely left the bedroom he was staying in, which also led him to recall everything that had happened before he had been brought to Wakanda. 

Seeing Steve again after all this time, meeting Sam Wilson, being on the run, finding out about Zemo's plan, fighting Stark, seeing Steve's determination to help... it was difficult for James to wrap his mind around all that for a long time.

And there was also T'Challa, the king of Wakanda, the man who at first had wanted to kill James to avenge his father, and who later had granted James asylum and offered to help him, had opened his home to him. T'Challa was unlike anyone else James had ever met, and he still continued to be a mystery. 

T'Challa had been the person who had came to find James after he had escaped from the lab after the scientists had woken him up. James had no idea how the king had found him, but the way he had talked to James, his voice gentle but confident at the same time, had been enough to somehow catch James' attention. T'Challa kept his distance, never pressuring James in any way. He reminded James where he was and explained why he had been woken up in the first place, and right after he was done he left. James had stayed at his hideout for a while longer, he still wasn't exactly sure how long exactly, but he knew T'Challa's words had managed to... ground him, for the lack of a better word.

As the king of Wakanda, and the Black Panther, the man had more than enough of his own problems to deal with, but he always managed to make time for James, and never made James feel like he was a burden, even if he had every reason to think so. It was something James still found surprising.

There was also the fact that there were times when James had caught T’Challa observing him sometimes, a gentle and thoughtful expression on his face. He had no idea what to think about it then.

He kept wondering if he should talk about his thoughts about T’Challa to the therapist he was seeing since he had been woken up, or if discussing what he thought about the king, especially since James had been thinking about the man a lot lately, was something he should avoid. The therapist was calm and professional, and a lot of her comments James found more or less helpful, but he still couldn’t be sure how open he could be around her. 

James exhaled quietly as he glanced at the clock. It was past midnight already, which meant he had been lying in the bed for more than five hours. Accepting that he most likely wouldn't fall asleep anytime soon he got up, and after putting his clothes on he went to the garden, a place which quickly became one of his favorite parts of the palace.

Leaning against the balustrade and closing his eyes, he focused on the feeling of wind against his skin and the faint smell of flowers coming from the garden.

He wasn’t sure how long was he standing there before he heard footsteps behind him. He felt himself tense up for a second before he realized that the person approaching him wasn’t trying to hide or surprise him, quite the contrary, considering that James knew the man could move without making any noise when he wanted to. That made him relax slightly. 

"It is a beautiful night," he heard a quiet, gentle voice say, and he couldn't help but agree.

"It is."

T'Challa approached quietly and when they were standing next to each other James glanced at the king briefly.

The calmness and warmth that appeared on the man's face every time he looked at the Wakandan landscape made it obvious how much T'Challa loved his country and its people. James didn't remember the last time he had looked at anything quite like that, the closest he had come was seeing Steve for the first time after all these years.

They stood at the balcony, silence surrounding them, and if James moved one step to the left his and T'Challa's shoulders would be touching. It was strange how... easy everything seemed to be when T'Challa was around.

"Have you told Steve or Sam that I'm awake?" James asked after a while, breaking the comfortable silence.

"No," T'Challa replied, never taking his eyes off the garden. "It is not my decision to make."

"Thanks."

James nodded, grateful. He knew Steve, most likely followed by Sam, would have came to Wakanda as soon as he found out, and as much as he knew Steve wanted to be there for him, and James did appreciate that more than he could express, he needed time. James knew that if he told him that, Steve would understand, would smile at James, squeeze his shoulder and hug him, but it'd also hurt him to know that James wanted to do some things by himself when Steve was right next to him, ready to help. And James couldn't deal with that just yet. Not right then. He was sure that Steve, and everyone else who had followed him, allowing Steve and James to escape, had more than enough to deal with.

T'Challa seemed to understand his need for space and James had no idea if the king was just that good at reading people in general, or if he was good at reading James specifically. He didn't have time to dwell on that, however, because T'Challa stepped away from the balustrade and turned to look at him.

"Would you like to join me for a walk?"

James licked his lips and nodded, following T'Challa to the garden.

***

They were walking down the main alley slowly, T’Challa telling James more about various plants they were growing in the main garden and greenhouses, and James was happy to just listen to the man talk. T’Challa nodded at the guards who greeted him as they passed the greenhouses, and then the man and the woman greeted James as well, which was something James was slowly getting used to.

As they entered one of the greenhouses, T’Challa approached a large plant with small dark blue flowers and large leaves.

“It is one of my favorites,” he said, touching the petals gently. “It looks fragile, but can endure heat as well as cold weather.”

James stepped closer to the plant and touched it as well, feeling the slightly coarse texture of the petals. He had never seen anything similar to the plant before him, but he saw why T’Challa liked it. 

“It’s… nice.”

Suddenly he felt T’Challa’s eyes on him again. The gentle expression on the man’s face was something James had seen more than once, but never when he and T'Challa were standing so closely together. It made him glance down at the king’s lips. 

Whatever it was between them was broken, however, when they heard guards walking towards the side gates and then back to the front one again, as they did every half an hour as they patrolled the area.

As they were standing in front of the door to James’ bedroom a half an hour later, a small, pleased smile appeared on T’Challa’s face.

“Thank you for accompanying me tonight.”

“Thanks for asking.” 

“I enjoy spending time with you, James. Good night.”

James just licked his lips, as he watched T’Challa walk away.

As he was lying in bed later, James wondered about everything that had happened that evening, from the gentle expression on T’Challa’s face every time the man looked at James, to the tense moment in the greenhouse. It wasn’t the first time he had noticed the king looking at him like that, but until now he'd chosen to ignore it, especially since T’Challa had never mentioned anything about it either, which James guessed was because he didn’t want to make James uncomfortable.

He closed his eyes and sighed. He’d think about all that in the morning.

***

In the end, it was James who made the first move. It wasn’t something he had planned, it just happened.

About a month later they were walking next to the greenhouse they ended up visiting quite often for the last few weeks, when James put one hand on T’Challa’s cheek to turn his head so that they were looking at each other. When T’Challa glanced at James’ lips and made no move to stop him, James kissed him.

It wasn’t a hurried kiss. It was gentle, and James felt T’Challa place one hand on his hip, but not to keep him in place. James could easily move away if he chose to, but the thing was, he didn't want to do that.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [geckoholic](http://archiveofourown.org/users/geckoholic/pseuds/geckoholic).
> 
> Since I'm not into angst and I don't read angst, really, writing this fic was a challenge for me, I have to say. But I hope you'll like it.
> 
> Enjoy!


End file.
